In a sustained burst of daring creativity before World War I, sculptors Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), Eric Gill (1882-1940), and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915) revolutionized modern British sculpture. In this compelling study, celebrated critic Richard Cork provides an in-depth examination of the artists' influences and works, exploring the idea of wildness that lay at the center of their artistic creed. Reaching beyond the classical canon to gain inspiration from what Gaudier-Brzeska called the barbaric peoples of the earth (for whom we have sympathy and admiration), the three artists produced bold, sexually explicit work that shocked viewers and ignited controversy.Spectacular examples of these sculptures illustrate Cork's text, including Epstein's masterpiece, Rock Drill, and Gaudier-Brzeska's monumental bust of Ezra Pound. With new research on the artists, Wild Thing is an essential reference for lovers of modern sculpture.Richard Cork is an art critic, historian, broadcaster, and curator. His award-winning books include Vorticism and Abstract Art in the Machine Age; Art Beyond the Gallery in Early Twentieth-century England, winner of the Sir Banister Fletcher Award in 1985; David Bomberg, 1987; A Bitter Truth: Avant-garde Art and the Great War, 1994; and Jacob Epstein, 1999. A four-volume collection of his critical writings on modern art was published in 2003.Published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 24 October 2009-24 January 2010.